Read Kissing the Canvas (Fighting For Love Book 3) for Free Online Page A

his mother thought all the money was coming from. Perhaps she didn’t ask…she probably figured that she didn’t want to know.
     
    “Not exactly, you’re halfway there though. You’re sharp.” It’s a compliment said in a way that’s so patronizing it’s impossible to take it as such. “We didn’t just split the spoils when he won; we split them when he lost as well.” He looks at Adriana like he’s sharing a secret with her.
     
    Then, it dawns on her what Morrison is trying to tell her. “You knew when he was going to lose because you’d tell him to throw the fight. So whatever happened to Grayson in that ring, win or lose, you both got paid.” She tries to line up this image of Grayson with the one that she has in her mind. The man who she knows would never throw a fight. He would never do anything but give his all; he didn’t know how to live any other way.
     
    “Exactly, my dear! And obviously the more specific you can be, the more you can win. For example, if we bet on Grayson going down in the first, we could make a nice little package, enough to split between two.” Morrison is almost rubbing his hands with glee at the memory of all that money.
     
    “So Grayson made you a lot of money.” Adriana tilts her head at Morrison, seeing him for the greedy little man he is. “And him going legit means that you don’t get to dictate whether he wins or loses, so you don’t have a sure thing anymore.” As Morrison’s expression darkens, Adriana realizes that she’s hit on the exact point. “That’s what this is all about? Money? A couple hundred dollars is enough for you to kidnap someone? Wow, times really must be tough.” She’s almost disappointed that her life is being put into jeopardy for a few bills.
     
    “Just when I think you’re getting it, you say something that proves you’re as silly as all those other bimbos Grayson has had.” Morrison’s tone is bitter. “You think I would go to these lengths of a couple of Benjamin Franklins?” He laughs, but it sounds like it’s something he doesn’t have much practice with. “Grayson’s next match, for the state title, there’s close to a million dollars riding on that fight, and I don’t intend to lose it.”
     
    Adriana’s eyes widen at Morrison’s words. A million dollars was a figure that she couldn’t even begin to fathom, not really. They were figures that didn’t mean anything to people like her who lived in a world of balancing paychecks with the rent, juggling to get to the end of the month, and paying the minimum on all her credit cards. It wasn’t hard to understand how far someone might go for a million dollars.
     
    “So what do you need Grayson to do? What are you trying to make him do in exchange for me?” She watches as Morrison smiles like a crocodile.
     
    “Grayson is going to throw the fight. He’s going to lose, specifically in the third round.” Morrison doesn’t even bother to try to hide his glee at the prospect. “It’s going to get messy, I’m sure. You see Dexter has a habit of hurting his opponents quite badly. The Grayson that comes out of the fight will probably be all but unrecognizable.”
     
    A strangled cry escapes Adriana. “Grayson was right! You are a whack-job! How can you do that to him?”
     
    Morrison looks at her with pity, like she’s an injured bird that he knows there’s no hope of saving. “Do that to him? He’s the one that left me behind. We were partners, and he just up and left.” It’s the first time that Morrison sounds genuinely hurt, but Adriana isn’t buying it.
     
    “You could care less about Grayson. You lost your moneymaker; that’s all he was to you. So, you had to find a way to make money out of him a different way.” Adriana shakes her head in disgust at the little man in front of her. “He’s not going to do what you want. He’s not just going to let himself get beaten, not after he’s worked so hard to get to where he is. He’s left